State Representative, District -- 1, Position -- 1

Party: Democrat

Date of birth: December 25, 1943

Residence: 22208 48 Ave West Mountlake Terrace, WA. 98043

Education: BA Sociology; MA Public Administration - Seattle University

Political offices held: State Representative - 1st District - eight years; Mountlake Terrace City Council - five years.

Public service and volunteer experience: American Legion Boys' State instructor - 17 years; Snohomish County Council on Aging - 6 years; ARC of Snohomish County (serving persons with developmental disabilities) - 6 years; State Council on Aging - 1 year; Northshore Kiwanis - 6 years; Lynnwood Rotary - 1 year; Mountlake Terrace Senior Center board member - 2 years; Church activities.

Endorsements: Association of Washington Business, Washington State Labor Council, Public School Employees of Washington, Washington State Patrol Troopers Assn., Bothell Firefighters, Washington State Council of Firefighters, Children's Campaign Fund, SEIU Washington State Council, Law Enforcement Administrators of Washington, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, Snohomish County Conservation Voters, Snohomish County/Camano Island Assn. of Realtors, Human Life Political Action Committee, King County Young Democrats, MH-PAC for Mental Health Advocates, Washington State Farm Bureau, and many more.

Campaign theme: 1) We must do a better job of funding K-12 and Higher Education so that our children are prepared to compete successfully in the world economy.

2) We must fix the Healthcare system in the state so that it is accessible and affordable to all our citizens.

3) We must create a friendly environment for business so that businesses will want to expand here, creating more jobs for our workers.

Questions for candidates

What are the biggest differences between you and your opponent(s)? I have the ability to work across the isle to create good public policy. This is quite different from working on a city council where there is a small number of members and issues tend to be handled in a non-partisan manner. My support is much broader than my opponent's. It includes individuals and organizations from Business, Labor, Government, and the Non-profit sectors. My opponent and I both have backgrounds in Law Enforcement. However, I have a much more global view in this area, having taught Criminal Justice courses for many years and having worked in the field for 36 years.

What are your highest priorities for state government? If you had to close the projected $1 billion gap between state government revenues and expenses, how would you do it? My highest priorities are; 1) to improve funding for K-12 and Higher Education; 2) to make Healthcare more affordable and accessible for more people; 3) to create a business-friendly environment in the state that helps businesses to expand so that they are able to create more good family-wage jobs. I would close the gap between government revenues and expenses through a combination of government efficiencies, including the elimination and/or reduction of some programs. I would apply the Priorities of Government test to all state programs, and do a Cost/Benefit analysis on any new programs.

Do you support the initiative to raise the sales tax 1 penny to raise money for schools and higher education? Yes. We must provide high quality world-class K-12 and Higher Education for our children so that they can compete successfully in the world economy. Good education is not cheap - it costs money, but we must look at this cost of education as an investment in our future. If we invest now our futures should be much brighter. If we don't invest, we will not be able to remain competitive. The 1 cent Sales Tax increase is an investment in our young people and in the long-term economic health of the state.

Are you happy with Washington's new primary? Are you supporting the initiative that would give Washington a "top 2" primary system that the parties oppose? No, and I voted against it during the legislative session last year. Many people contacted me about the new primary and most of them were very angry. I do support the "top 2" primary initiative, and have advised those who contacted me to consider voting for the "top 2" in November.

What do you think of the initiative to expand the use of slot machines to reduce taxes? It is a bad idea. The initiative to expand gambling will create a lot more secondary problems in our society, like greater indebtedness for many families, an increase in crimes related to theft, and an increase in domestic violence. This will lead to an increase in costs to local governments that will have to pick up the tab for the added police calls. And because of competition from legal gambling that already exists in this state, the new gambling dollars generated by the expansion will not come anywhere near the amount promised by the initaitive to replace current government revenues.

Contact

22208 48 Ave West PO Box 198
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, WA 98043
(425) 771-2141
obrien_al@leg.wa.gov

Campaign Web site:
www.alobrien.com